Tea, Songs, and Heartbeats
by Orihime Maychan
Summary: Tea-making is definitely a serious business. After brewing so many pots of various kinds of teas, songs and heartbeats have come together to recreate the famous Jasmine Dragon Franchise. All it needs is a brew master that doesn't need timers or clocks to get the taste right. Mainly shows Mai as herself, with the appearance of Zuko, Chibi Maiko and Uncle Iroh for good measure.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P**

* * *

**Prologue:**

_The moon shines bright_

_Every night, but when_

_She doesn't, all the stars_

_Come out like fireflies_

_In the night~_

* * *

A little girl looks amused at the sight. _Really, is this the Dragon of the West?_ She kept asking herself the same question but in the end she just stared at the old man singing while boiling tea leaves in an earthen pot.

The old man quickly spun around facing the oak door. "Ah, well if it isn't Chibi Mai-Mai! How do you do my dear? My songs must have reached into your heart and pulled you over here." He couldn't suppress a giggle when the little girl blushingly smiled on the cold floors. "Come here, we could have a chat and I'll tell you a story about teas." The little girl looked up and nearly hung her jaw, but then remembered it was so unbecoming of a lady so she just obliged. "As you wish, General Iroh-sama."

The old man chuckled again. "No need to be so formal, Chibi Mai-Mai. After all, I don't think you're obliged to when you talk to my dear son Lu Ten, or adorable nephew _Zuko_" with emphasis on the last name spoken. The little girl just let out a gasp and just stared at the old man before letting her eyes fall to the ground again. To be honest she can't help but blush, it's a part of her that is as natural as a cat having whiskers and fluffy ears. Ah, cats, so fuzzy and warm. The little girl thought about her kitten and smiled. "Couldn't Chibi Mai-Mai at least have some almond cookies? That goes well with some lychee nut tea you know." The old man patted the stool beside the wooden table and the little girl's eyes grew wider at the sound and smell of almond cookies. "Okay, as you say so, General uhm… What should I call you then?" She suddenly felt a bit foolish after the last sentence.

"Hm… Uncle Iroh should be just fine, Chibi Mai-Mai." The little girl suddenly felt warm and fuzzy. It's just like when Uncle Wei told her that she could just call him Uncle Wei, no other pretentions. Just like the feeling of being loved unconditionally. _Maybe this is the reason why Zuko loves going to this sojourn location in the first place._ _For a place known to be the warmest among Four Nations, the great walls of the palace can be pretty cold as ice…_

"Ok, I think we just ran out of tea, Chibi Mai-Mai. Shall I teach you a bit of my brewing secrets? Just between you and me of course." The old man winked at the little girl and she smiled without even knowing what happened. "Okay, Uncle Iroh Sir!" And with that, tea brewing (and some life) lessons began.

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Author's Note: This is my first attempt at posting a fan fic. I hope to hear your comments, suggestions, rants or raves. Please tell me what you think. Thanks! ^-^


	2. Ginger Ale

**Usual disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P**

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**Ginger Ale**

_I'm bored. Oh well, might as well do something useful. I'm sure he's going to drink it anyway._

There hasn't been much to do lately, or at least till she hears someone screaming along the hallway. By then she would need all her strength to keep the old geezers from lunging at each other, or at the very least keep herself from throwing her knives at them to shut their mouths up. For now, she only needs to sing to herself to make the perfect honeyed ginger ale for _him._

_Each day, flowers bloom and wilt,_

_Each day, the sun rises and falls,_

_Each day, mem'ries come and fade,_

_But for each day that it does,_

_My love will build no walls._

_Eww, cheesy. Better think of another one._ She almost spat her tongue out. Corny lines were not really her style. More on the lines of witty and sharp.

_If you can't feed me some good grub,_

_I'd rather eat a badgerfrog._

_Blah, that even went out wrong. Oh well, at least I had 86 heartbeats already. 100 more to go. Maybe I'll just count._

After letting the boiled the ginger root steep for a good half-hour, she took out a large earthen kettle and poured half of the mixture in, then added some previously-boiling water, allowing the steam to reach her nose well.

_Perfect. Now for some honey_.

She kept the rest of the boiled ginger root in a mossy earthen pot and stored it away from the kiln. After pouring some honey into the kettle, she placed everything in a tray, along with some thin wafers that pretty much summed up the personalities of the people she would be serving: old, flaky, and dry.

* * *

Flashback:

"Uncle Iroh likes tea a lot. But isn't it just boiled leaf juice?" The little girl kept squinting at the clear crystal that holds a small amount of concentrated ginger ale.

"We-ll, sometimes it's not leaf juice at all. It can be seeds, bark, fruits, or in this case, root. By itself, this ginger ale would taste too strong, even for an old man like me. But!" The old man places the ale into a porcelain pot with boiling water, then adds some honey to the mix. "Sometimes when you just want to savor the taste, watering it down then adding something to balance the flavor will certainly surprise you. And best of all, this actually helps make your voice sound better when you sing."

The little girl smiled at the thought. She likes singing but her voice sounds rather rough and raspy, even though she hits the notes rather well. "I think I'd like to drink some of that now Uncle Iroh, Sir!"

Old man Iroh couldn't stifle a giggle. _That girl's got spunk, not even hesitating to drink something I actually just invented a few weeks ago. But then again, if she was a soldier she's going to be quite loyal, as she trusts my judgment so far._ "Alright, Chibi Mai-Mai, have a taste of this special honeyed ginger tea then." It tastes rather spicy, but the nice kind that soothes the body during a cold night. "It's pretty good, I like it. Not that it's supposed to make my voice all better and stuff," she blushed profusely after saying _stuff_. She thought of how Lu Ten Onii-chan told her she had a knack at singing. "Well, it's pretty good, is it not? Pretty good for a new recipe." The little girl almost choked and snorted her drink up her nose while the old man patted her back, not hesitating to laugh really hard.

* * *

Back to the present:

_Oh geez, I was supposed to put it IN the boiling water. Blah, how would this even taste now?_

Her obsessive-compulsion to do the details right got the best of her. Again. Oh well, too late now, the oldies are already drinking the tea and the wafers without much problem other than jostling around and laughing, while _he_ just held her hand and smiled. "I see Uncle taught you well with what snack to mix with every kind of tea." She just smirked and fed him some wafer before saying "No kidding".

_Maybe I should write everything instead of reliving everything bit by bit._

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A/N: I'm not sure how this went or what. I hope it's pretty much realistic, and near the characters' actual selves. Hope you hear what you think so far. ^-^ I had to put the disclaimers before the stories so some stuff might have changed. It slipped my mind. _


	3. O-cha 12

**Usual disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P**

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**O-cha 1/2**

"I don't get why you have to have so many kinds of tea at the place. These all just came from one plant, right?" Zuko wasn't happy then when his uncle shopped for so much tea stuff, and now that his wife is doing the same, the happy rewards he would get after they arrived at home were the only thoughts that kept him sane. "Awww, and to think you had so much time to learn about these from Uncle? I thought you'd have more sense about brewing tea." Mai weirdly thought that smiling at a scowling Fire Lord in disguise was very inappropriate. But it was really funny. "At any rate, I don't think this is the time to tell you about that. I better move fast to get the best and cheapest ones sold in bulk. Here, catch." She tosses a large bag at Zuko before running towards a stall beside a flourishing cabbage kiosk. It's not the weight it's the bulk that annoys him. _Oh well, the whole body massage better be worth this bulk._ He just smiled at himself, knowing that deep within her armoured shell she can be the most caring and loving person in the world. But not according to the world's terms.

* * *

Some years ago:

"But uncle, why is she even here? She's supposed to be playing with Azula in the yard." A pouty little prince tried gripping his sides while staring at the round, red, white, and black ball that was supposed to be his sister's playmate. _She's even on my seat, how can uncle do that to me?_ The little girl noticed that the young prince was very uncomfortable with her being close to his hero. She took off from the stool and bowed at him. _I didn't know he would be this jealous with his uncle. I wouldn't blame him. If he did something like this with Uncle Wei I would probably do the same. Better get back to the garden then_. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll be leaving now." She bowed politely to the old man, then to the prince, then started to sprint out of the small room when she heard the old man call her back. "Now, now, Chibi Mai-Mai, don't let a jealous little boy cut off your fun. And as for you, Zu-chan, have you finally gotten interested in tea brewing? My little apprentice here has been learning a lot, and she has been quite a charming one at that. Won't you come join us here and learn a few things too? The world really isn't all about battles you know."

The young prince had no other choice but to sit down and reclaim his stool from beside the clay stove. As for the little girl, she hasn't really taken in what the young prince looks like. _He's bratty, and somewhat selfish. But if he's here, he must be very different from Azula then. But Lu Ten Onii-chan is still nicer. _The little girl smiled at herself while the young boy was wondering why she smiles even when she was at the other side of the old man. _I didn't even know she could smile_. He tried smiling back at her when she gazed at him, all glassy-eyed and rosy. But she snapped back to reality and pulled her lips into a frown when she saw the prince.

The old man was amused watching the pair move and converse without saying anything, but before he became completely gripped at the silent exchanges around him he rose up to get some jars with labels that were hard to read. He brought out two jars: one that had tea twigs, stems, and stalks; and the other has purely dried leaves in it. He then brought them a third jar, which had brownish stuff in it. "Open each jar and tell me what the stuff inside smells like. Don't open to long though."

In the spirit of competition, the little girl grabbed the jar containing the twigs and sniffed it, followed by the jar with the greenish dried leaves, and lastly sniffed the third jar. She smiled, but said nothing. The young prince tried grabbing the third jar, but she just swung it away from his hand. "Go over those two first. Sniff these in order, like I did." _Arrrggh, why would she even do this to me? I'm the prince, I should get special treatment_. The old man noticed the tension again and chuckled. "Come now, Zu-chan, you are both my young apprentices, and in this room you two are both of the same rank. Besides, Chibi Mai-Mai is right, there is a proper order to sniffing the three jars. Nice work there, Chibi Mai-Mai" he adds with a wink. "Thank you, Uncle Iroh Sensei." She smirked at the young prince, who was struggling to find out if the three jars have even the slightest bit of differences between them.

* * *

The present:

The young lady finally heaved the last sack of leaves up the wagon and climbed up beside the young man on the passenger side. "I think these should do. Let's take a stop at Ba Sing Se before we go back to the palace. I'm sure Uncle would very much be interested with some of these new blends. Who knows, maybe he could make it taste better." The Fire Lord didn't have to object at that idea. It means less to carry home, and he would get to see Uncle again. Win-win ending to a day of carrying so much dead leaves.

After arriving at Ba Sing Se, the old man hugged the young man and young lady in a tight bear hug before spotting the plump sacks of dried tea leaves in the cart and smiling. "I'd bet those are new blends of leaves, haven't seen those markings before. Nice job, Chibi Mai-Mai." For once today, the young man actually had a chance to smile as the young lady made a pout while saying "Uncle, that was a long, long time ago. I don't think that name suits me in this age, or height." "But you two will always be my two best tea apprentices you know. And besides, you're still Chibi Mai-Mai inside, the one Zu-chan fell for after that perfect Guricha* brew." The old man nudged the young man starting to blush profusely, and it was the young lady's turn to smile.

* * *

A/N: *Guricha tastes a bit different from regular green tea, cause it has other flavorings in it.

Sorry for making this chapter too long. I'll promise to make the second half shorter and with more tea stuff in it. Please rate, review, hate, love, or simply read. Thank you! ^-^


	4. O-cha 22

**Usual disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P**

* * *

**O-cha 2/2**

This part continues where the sniffing of jars with tea stuff left off. Enjoy more Chibi Maiko and Jolly Iroh, cause they need more love ^-^

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Flashback:

"So lemme get this straight, those three jars came from the same plant? Why not just mix them all up and stuff? They'd taste the same anyway." The young prince grew a bit impatient after having to remember how many breaths and heartbeats were needed for each of the jar's contents to make them taste good. While the old man tried to stifle a laugh from escaping his lips, the little round girl stood up from her seat and nonchalantly replied "It's because even if the stuff came from the same plant, how the stuff were dried made each part taste different when brewed. It's just that simple. Besides, twigs and barks aren't leaves, so they're still not the same."

Clapping his hands, the old man replied to the little girl's statement. "Very nice. Well said, Chibi Mai-Mai! But I don't remember telling that to you or Zu-chan here. Where did you learn that?" The little girl caught her breath and suddenly remembered her own uncle. "Uncle Wei says the same stuff about rice too. Rice stalks can be used for footwear and mats, the polished rice can be turned into different food or drinks, and the husks can be used for cooking the rice. He says it doesn't matter that the same stuff came from the rice plant, it is how they end up being used for is what's important. And that makes every part of the plant different."

The little boy snorted in response. _Know-it all show-off._ "So Uncle Iroh Sensei, when will Lu Ten Onii-chan come back from the military academy? I'd like to show him my tea brewing skills. Not that I'd want to show off or anything." She tried to stop her face from getting warm and red, but to no avail. The young boy suddenly gasped. _Hey, not my older brother too. You already charmed Uncle, and Azula, not Lu Ten Onii-chan too. Besides, what does he have that I don't?_ That last thought made his brain itch and his chest tight. He couldn't help but notice that she blushes a bit whenever Lu Ten Onii-chan gets mentioned.

"Well, I guess Chibi Mai-Mai seems to have a grasp of what makes different kinds of teas different. But it's the same with life, and people, isn't it?" The old man stroked his beard and for the two youngsters he suddenly looked so wise, not just old. "You see, even in the same families if can't be helped that the brothers and sisters would not be the same. That's because they are of their own person. They came from the same tree, but it is their experiences that make them so much different from each other." He stood up to get the boiling water and poured it into the porcelain kettle, then putting the twigs in it he replaced the cover and moved back to the two young children. "Like the tea leaves, aside from their size and age, it is how they are dried, and of what are done to them after drying that makes their flavour unique and special."

After a few measured breaths, the old brew master poured the tea into small cups, just enough for the three of them to taste and savor the brew. The little girl didn't seem to mind the drink, while the young boy just retorted "This just smells and tastes like hot leaf juice." The old man feigned a melodramatic reply, "Not my nephew too. It already feels bad that some of my soldiers were saying that same thing, but not you too, a member of my own family! Oh woe, oh woe is me…" And through all this the little girl had to stop herself from laughing before the door bursts open and an angry little princess pops out.

"I think you have something that I own." She turns to the round, red-faced chubby girl and pulls her away from the table. "Why would you even go here, it's boring to see Uncle make hot leaf juice, it's even more boring that Zu-nii would even be here. Come along now, we'll go back to the turtleduck pond and watch them float about." The two made their respectful bows and for the little girl whose fun just got spoiled, mouthed to the two left behind "I'm sorry, I'll be back soon," and then smiled shyly before running out the door entirely. "Well nephew, I guess it's just you, me, and tea, alone, two people, together, alone. But I wouldn't mind if you'd run after your fellow apprentice and take her back. It won't be as much fun if you don't have competition here, do you agree?"

For some weird reason the young boy felt his cheeks burn, even more so after remembering how the plump little girl smiles whenever Lu Ten Onii-chan gets mentioned by chance. _I hope I can bring her back here again. Uncle was right. It was much more fun when we two get to be apprentices. We can keep making hot leaf juice together. Or maybe… Maybe someday she'll smile for me too. But not that I want that. Nope._ The young boy kept shaking his head and scratching it, trying to erase the memory of the little girl's smile slowly etching into his head.

* * *

Back to the present, at Ba Sing Se:

"Alright, I'll try brewing these Guricha to see if the price was right. I'll leave a message for the merchant if she even lied for a bit." The young lady let three knives fly out of her left hand and strike a pole outside of the tea shop's kitchen just to prove a point. The old man just laughed heartily while the young man's face suddenly became contorted into a mix of "what were you thinking" and "oh no not again". "Don't worry, my Lord, we won't be going back together, I think I can handle that on my own. I just need a few disguises. Pray that the tea tastes good so we could get rested for tomorrow." She just couldn't help but smile whenever the young man pouts and voices his thoughts through slight gestures. _Honestly, you certainly still are Zu-chan, you can't even hide yourself from me after all these years_. She couldn't help but find his boyish charm very endearing, even after many years of seeing each other a lot.

* * *

_Crickets keep still during winter time,_

_But not before the harvest moon shines_

_Above our heads, so close and bright_

_For once the crops have gone to hide_

_So do the crickets, as they bid goodbye._

* * *

After two songs worth 24 breaths each, the young lady pours the contents of the porcelain kettle into cups, picking up one for herself after serving the old man and his nephew. "I think I'd like mine with a bit more honey," says the lady before smiling her sweetest smile to the young man who almost dropped his own cup after what felt like five slow heartbeats that throbbed in his chest. The old man just sighed and smiled. "I guess despite the years going by, some things simply don't change that easily. This tea certainly tastes good, Chibi Mai-Mai. I guess you won't be going anywhere with your knives tonight." Old man Iroh winked at his nephew who was trying to keep his face away from prying eyes. And for what seemed like a short eternity, the young lady took a deep breath and enjoyed her relief. "Thank you very much, Uncle Iroh Sensei", she says, bowing before the old man and sitting beside the young man she adored the most.

* * *

A/N: Uwah, I'm so sorry this one got longer than the last one.. _ I just hope that it was worth your reading time. I had fun with toying on the idea that before there was Maiko, there was LuMai. If that even existed somewhere in the Avatar universe. Please rate, review, or simply just read. Many thanks! ^-^


	5. Guricha

**Usual disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P**

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**Guricha**

Some years ago:

"Roasted tea leaves? Urrgh, what else would be next, fried tea leaves? Tea people are CRAZY!" The old man just shook his head at the impatient young boy. While he already knows how long to let some kinds of tea steep properly, he still doesn't make sense of why there had to be different kinds of brewing time for the same stuff. _It just tastes the same. Same as the others_. "Would you like to try Chibi Mai-Mai's special blend? She made this herself, but it's up to you to turn it into the best-tasting Guricha yet." _Ok, now she makes her own leaf mixes, and Uncle approves? Really, I can't believe this is happening!_ Poor confused boy now is now really confused. He still tried smelling the small jar's contents anyway, hoping that it would still smell the same as the other teas.

But it didn't. This one smelled different. Like spring breeze blowing. _But it's just the same roasted tea leaves. Why does this jar smell different? _The young boy took the large jar of Guricha and tried sniffing it, before returning to the smaller jar. Now he looked even more confused. The old man just took his time staring at his nephew, who reminded him of his son way back. _This kid sure doesn't know how to quit. Very nice quality I must say. Good thing he keeps on trying. Better give him a hand before he throws the jar away._ "Well, I'm quite impressed, Zu-chan. It appears that for some reason you find that the two jars smell differently. I'll make a guess that you like the smaller jar's contents better than this larger one?" He peered closer to his nephew's eyes, trying to read anything discreet. The boy just shrugged and said "This small jar smells sweeter, I guess. I think Mai-Mai placed some other stuff in here. But I'll bet it would still just taste like hot leaf juice, with scents." "But that's the point, my dear nephew!" The old man gave the boy a big smile. "It's not just the taste, but also the fragrance that makes the tea special. Don't underestimate that jar though. Chibi Mai-Mai took a long time to get the proportions right. Maybe she made it with someone in mind. Hmm…"

Now the old man looked at the young prince really hard, before adding "Must be for Lu Ten then. Hah. What can I say, he's certainly charming like his dear old dad." The old man certainly struck a nerve with the kid, seeing him get pouty after he stopped speaking. _Well now, this seems interesting. But if he knows how that Guricha got formulated, he might get even more surprised. I'd better keep it to myself. For now._

* * *

The day before:

"Uncle Iroh Sensei, what kind of tea does Lu Ten Onii-chan like?" It just came out of the blue, but the old man was expecting such a question. Just not that soon. "Well now, you haven't had too much tea lately, my dear Chibi Mai-Mai? It's nice to simply drink juice every now and then. But I did warn you, the tea gods can be very persuasive." The little girl just tilted her head, and asked again. "So uhm, Onii-chan likes juices more?" "Not exactly, but I think he likes fruit-flavored hot tea most of the time. He prefers herbs for making it sweet though, like stevia. But I think it doesn't remove the bitter taste of tea as good as honey does. Besides, honey itself tastes a bit like fruit, so I think it should be a better complement with tea like mango or lychee nut tea." The little girl nodded in amazement with the idea.

"How about Zu-chan, what does he like?" _Hm, this seems interesting. Why ask about the other apprentice all of a sudden? _A small smile left his face before answering "I'm not so sure, but Zu-chan has a small penchant for anything that reminds him of spring. Like Sakura petals or lemony scents of that sort." "Oh… Okay then." The little girl suddenly looked like she was deep in thought. "But you did say that we can make infusions of various stuff to make flavored teas, is that correct?" The old man nodded in agreement. He seemed quite proud to have a witty apprentice asking about stuff he was very passionate about. "I guess you can make your own mixes and blends, but it takes a while before you get the blends the way you wanted them to be. And that takes a lot of work." After breathing for a few minutes, the little girl came up with a decision. "Can I make my own then? I'd like you to check on my progress. Would that be fine?" "Of course, I would be honored to have a free sample of your original blends. Even if that might take a while, I'll try to before I return to the battle field. It was nice having an apprentice here, and it made feel even more special." The old man couldn't help but hold back some tears. He would certainly miss the two children, just as how he still misses his son training to become a soldier like him.

* * *

Two days later:

"Uncle's not here anymore. He was assigned to infiltrate the great walls of Ba Sing Se, and he just left this morning." The little boy seemed to have been crying so hard, his eyes were all swollen and red. But he didn't mind. It was just his fellow apprentice that he was talking to. It's not like she would tattle to his sister about that. He was able to trust her, since she got to be a bit trusting of him too. The little girl was already starting to hide her emotions well. Her Uncle-Sensei did warn her about showing off too much of the inner self: it can turn against you someday. "You don't have to yell you know. Besides, I don't plan to stop brewing my personal blends. Here." She placed a cup of freshly-brewed tea on the table for the young prince. "Just drink that. Uncle Iroh Sensei gave that his seal of approval. He says it was good. I even gave him some of what I made, so he could take us with him somehow." She was trying to hold back tears, and was surprisingly doing an even better job than the young prince.

"I'm sorry, I guess this would be the last day that I would be hanging in this part of the kitchen. It's not like I have to go somewhere else, your sister keeps trying to find me and pull me out anyway." She poured herself a cup of tea and placed some honey in it. "Oh, I forgot to put some on yours. How many teaspoons would you want?" But the young prince wasn't listening to her anymore. For some reason, the tea she gave him reminded him of something else. He felt like he was transported to another world. He felt peace and happiness, like when his mother comforts him and pets his soft hair during cherry-blossom viewing season, but he didn't want to admit it to the fellow apprentice. Not yet.

"Hey, at least tell me if it's good. If you don't want to drink it, I might as well drink the whole pot's content." She started to pull her lips into a pout, but decided not to, and just patted the fellow apprentice's back. "He's a very strong one, you don't have to worry so much. Just remember the good times, and he'll be back to be with us again. OK?" But the young boy still wasn't listening to her words. He was reading her through the drink. _This scent, it reminds me of nicer times. But how did she even do that? I didn't tell her anything. Still feels good anyway. It's just too bad, she was thinking of Lu Ten Onii-chan when she made this tea. It would taste a lot better if…_

But he never got to finish his thoughts, as his younger sister appeared in the doorway again, with another friend shouting in glee, "Hey Mai-Mai, what smells gooood?" The other friend hugged Mai-Mai, and she responded with a short hug. "I made some tea, you like some?" She started pouring more when the young prince's sister snorted and said "Just be quick drinking with your hot leaf juice, I thought of a better way to spend today's holiday. You going with us, Zu-nii?" Her voice made him shudder, but not from the cold. "I don't want to play your stupid games Azula. You cheat a lot, and break the rules, and change them. I'll just go watch mother." "You're really such a baby, Zu-nii. I'll take the girls out for a walk. You can mope here all you want. At least Mai would be staying out more, now that Uncle Kooky has gone to Ba Sing Se. Wonder if he'll even return?" The two apprentices gasped at the same time, but said nothing. They just looked at each other, with their eyes speaking and exchanging words of comfort without actually saying anything. Their silent conversations gave them inner strength against the princess' words.

A happy shriek pierced the silence, as the cartwheeling friend happily screamed "This is pretty good, Mai-Mai! It's like spring in a cup!" "You think so? I'm glad you like it. I did make that with someone in mind." The little girl blushed and looked at her fellow apprentice with a weird, glassy-eyed smile. The young prince didn't catch the smile early on, but when he did, he felt his heart skip a few beats before gulping the rest of his cup and left the three girls in the room in a hurry. The loud friend looked confused, the young princess, sighed, "Whatever, let's go now", and the plump little apprentice felt a bit sad.

_I guess he didn't like it then_.

* * *

A/N: The ending became sad.. I wonder what happened? =( Well, they did say stories have a life of their own… I just had to create a transition from LuMai to Maiko. So there, I hope that's pretty satisfactory for readers. Please rate, comment, or simply read. Thank you! ^-^


	6. Dried (Friendly) Mushroom Tea

**Usual disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P**

* * *

**Dried (Friendly) Mushroom Tea**

They say it's good for calming the nerves, and keeping them healthy. But the two weren't buying the pitch for the weird, dried ear-looking bunch of mushrooms the merchant was showing them. "Even if that came from the friendliest mushroom around, we still won't buy it. Who knows what would happen when our patrons drank that stuff?" The young lady was very adamant from buying it, her husband not even thinking twice about avoiding the expensive dried mushrooms. "Besides, if you have medical claims you can start by making yourself a cup and we can watch you all day. We got lots of time." The merchant suddenly got a bit scared, swallowed a bit, then rapidly packed the wares up and bowed to the pair. "I'm sorry, we're closed for now. Please come back again tomorrow," the merchant blurted out while trying to keep his tones low as possible. "Should have just stuck with the cabbages" he muttered as he hauled his wares over his cart.

The young lady merely laughed after seeing the merchant go. "Oh well, that didn't turn out quite right. But I felt a bit guilty, we could have just asked for some free samples, then see what would happen to unsuspecting victims." She tried making the words bright and cheery, but the young man just shrugged. "Well, there goes another dealer. You shouldn't even think of terrorizing the merchants, Mai. They might all run away." "Hey, I was just thinking that even small things such as businesses should be treated equally. Who knows if the stuff were poisoned, or worse, actually spiked with dried cactus juice? I wouldn't want more people to suffer from people who drank such brews." The pair suddenly looked at each other, thinking of the same thing, then laughed. "OK, next would be stall number 15." The young lady and her husband walked over to the next stall, whose owner seems to be selling dried fruit seeds.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Somewhere, in Kyoshi Island, a water-bender warrior started coughing after he drank his Reishi* tea without proper breathing. "Whoever remembered me today certainly made a wrong timing, I'm drinking my friendly mushroom tea right now." He coughs more of the stuff out while his warrior wife kneads his back gently. "Of course some people did remember you. But not the way you wanted them to." She silently giggled after hearing the words "friendly mushroom", making her remember an incident involving certain desert plants that cause people to hallucinate pretty bad.

* * *

**A/N:** * Reishi – it's a bracket fungi (wooo, so technical), well it basically grows on rotting wood. This fungi is used for ancient Eastern medicine. If I recall correctly, it's a part of the _Ganoderma_ group of fungi, used for the active compounds that even I have never heard of.

I tried making this one light to read, since the previous ones were too long. Hope you enjoyed this one. Please rate, review, suggest, or simply read. Thank you! ^-^


	7. The One-Week Brewer Substitutes

**Usual disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P**

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**The One-Week Brewer Substitutes**

Only one week to visit the Order of White Lotus. The old tea brewer would only be gone for seven days. It shouldn't be noticeable by most, but by the end of the second day, it seems that the customers were able to tell that the teas served in the Jasmine Dragon were somewhat off. Now the owner's nephew and his wife were starting to worry that the patrons were already on to them.

"I think we should change the strategy here. Otherwise the Foo-foo Mooselion Pastry Shop might win this food war." The young lady seems to see something that her husband doesn't notice. He just grunted and lazily replied, "Uncle will be here by next week, the patrons would be returning by then." "But still, it's not too late to turn things up here. I'd bet changing the service here would bring back Uncle's older pals, not to mention gain more of the new clients. Or better yet, I'll put my sleeping skills to use." She smiled at the idea, but her husband did not. "Oh no, no Mai. You will not terrorize them into entering our shop by holding knives at their throats. I won't let you." The young lady let out a rather undignified laugh, before retorting, "I'm even surprised that you actually thought of that before I did. But no, I won't even stoop down that low. I'll just ask the cook what strategies Uncle usually do to rake the diners in. Maybe I could make some improvements."

Night came, and the eaters went away along with the light. The young lady kept scrounging for some of the usual tea leaves, but apparently there weren't really much variety with the stocks in the shelves. _The palace kitchen sure had more kinds of tea back then. Oh well, better start working on some rhymes then_.

* * *

The young lady was not used to brewing large amounts of tea, but after having finding out how to do it without losing her mind, she came to conclude what makes the old tea master's brews click. She just simply refined some simple techniques, adding fresh and dried leaves, counting up to around 200 breaths before pouring the tea into special pots, even adding some spices to give it a rich flavour and a surprising aroma. Her Uncle Sensei would have been pleased.

* * *

_I want to have so many things in life,_

_I want to be stronger, than yesterday,_

_I want to run through time, faster than tomorrow,_

_But even if I want so many things, right now_

_I will always want to see you smile._

The lines were too corny, but right now she doesn't care so much. She was now allowed to feel, and express her feelings. Saying them out loud with a song didn't really make much difference. But what made her smile even more was that despite being cranky for serving so many people that day, he still stayed with her inside the kitchen, smiling quietly while listening to her humming cheesy-sounding songs, while she goes on preparing the new kind of tea the shop would be giving out to customers the next day.

* * *

It was early in the morning, but instead of the usual Sencha or Oolong to perk up the breakfast eaters, an unusual blend was served. It was surprisingly good, and it did not took the customers long enough to line up and have their own meals served with the new brew. Weirdly enough, there came to a point when there have been more orders of the new brew than the other kinds of teas the Jasmine Dragon served it customers.

The following morning, the Jasmine Dragon started to give away additional servings of their new blend of Jasmine tea to customers that bought extra helpings of steamed buns or dumplings, and by the seventh day, the tea shop's earnings considerably increased. Only, one person got affected by this, and he didn't know what to do with the excess dried brown stuff he found in the kitchen when he got back from his travels.

* * *

"I guess Jasmine tea removes the eerie effects of the mushroom extract, and even gives the brew a full-bodied flavor. I really should find that merchant and apologize. He could sell me all of those dried mushrooms, before the people find out my secret." The young lady absent-mindedly placed her arms around her sitting husband as he silently nodded in reply. Things should go smoothly from here, even if they were back in the Fire Nation, doing their duties.

The dried friendly mushrooms blended well with the Jasmine tea, and the old man himself admitted that it was a great change for the shop. The young lady's brew actually was a good complement with any kind of food: noodles; meats; sweets; or even just being the tea itself. But every now and then, the old man would ask his daughter-in-law for the original house blend whenever the nephew brings her by for a visit, and she would happily make him some. She owed him so much more than the fateful encounters of the past anyway.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that went well so far. And just for kicks, the friendly mushrooms taste somewhat like chocolate. Just a bit. =) Any kind of comments or suggestions, or raves are welcome. Thanks for reading!


	8. Jasmine Dragon Incorporated

**Usual disclaimer: Bryke & Nick owns the characters. I just tell stories. =P **

**This is the last chapter by the way. Thanks for sticking with me. I ran out of ideas. Enjoy! =)**

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**Jasmine Dragon Incorporated**

_**Five years after the war ended:**_

By this time, the soon-to-be Fire Lady was quite open to talking with the Fire Lord's friends, even pitching in some ideas for the water tribe healer's brother when it comes to food or earning money in the most honest way possible. The time she spent selling flowers and learning about commerce paid off, making her see the world in another light. There came a time when she even learned how to convince people to actually try new stuff by careful selection of words. But of course, she wouldn't let them get hurt in any way. At least, not by the way she thinks things through.

Today she tries to convince the water tribe healer of her new product. "You don't have to try it personally if you don't want to. I just happened to find some old scrolls, then I turn the stuff into something that many people could use. But I'm not a healer, so I wouldn't know. You might want to replace some of the water you use for healing with this stuff. Let's see if the pains would go away faster, and speed up your healing time." The water tribe girl just stared at her with an arched brow. "Look, what I've learned from the healers back in the Northern Southern water tribes are enough to heal people, both spiritually and physically. I don't think changing the contents of my gourd flask would do anything more than what I can do now." The older lady just sighed, before replying, "Oh well, if that's what you say. But if you happen to run across an injured person, try thinking of me. Here, take this flask. I'd bet your brother could open it even while holding a boomerang with his hand." "Yeah Katara, try listening to Sharpy-Sharp-Sharp for once, she did have great ideas before anyway. I approve." The blind bender raised two thumbs up to the smirking regal lady, but not before she suddenly blurted out "Oh, okay, I don't know how to respond to that."

* * *

"My ouchie hurts more!" A boy around the age of eight was puffing air out of his nose, while an older water tribe warrior sits beside him with an even greater pout. "But you threw Boomerang at my head! My head ouches more!" "I'm sorry, you said I just throw. I don't know how. It's not a knife so I don't know. You're just like a cry baby, Sokka Onii-san!" The young boy huffed more air before an idea popped out of his head. "Oh, wait, Mai Ane-ue has something for something like that. She says it came from hundreds of years' worth of scrolls. Pretty reliable stuff. Maybe she gave it to Katara Onee-san already. Why don't we try it out on you?" It seems like the soon-to-be Fire Lady wasn't the only one who learned how to do sales pitching while running a flower shop.

* * *

Apparently she was right. Based on her readings, she was able to deduce that special herbs could work better when used by a healer. But that also means the water mix must be replenished every five healings or so. The water tribe warrior's pain was relieved quicker, and the bump healed a lot faster than normal healing. The water tribe healer just simply ohhhed and ahhhed over the effects, and the older girl nearly gave a thumbs up to the blind bender. Then she remembered that doing such stuff was so un-ladylike. And besides, Toph can't see that either.

* * *

_**Nearly a hundred years after the war ended:**_

"Jasmine Dragon Incorporated is celebrating its 90th anniversary, and is giving away free samples of its revolutionary Health-Tea Medicine Mix! Just buy a big banquet feast in any franchise of the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop for only 10000 Yuan and get 5 free samples of the special product free! You wouldn't want to miss it, only from tomorrow till Thursday! Get it while it's hot, hot, HOT!"

A little girl asked the merchant what the tea mix was. He said that it was invented by the last Fire Lady, Lady Mai. But the little girl didn't want to believe him. The older man simply said that if it wasn't for the tea mix, he wouldn't reach his old age. He was a very adventurous kid himself, and if it weren't for the tea mix his mother pours over his cuts and bruises, he might not even make it to his age.

The little girl pulled her older brother and pointed at the stuff, and he just shrugged and said "I'll take eight, my good sir." "Excellent choice! I'll throw in a few vouchers for you too! Enjoy your product sir, and be sure to visit the nearest Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop!" The boy just shrugged again.

As he pulled his little sister towards another kiosk, the little girl asked, "Is it true? Great grandma Mai made this stuff?" "Yeah, I guess she did. She had a knack for making kooky concoctions anyway, and so far, the family's special blend of Jasmine tea is still the best-selling concoction she ever made. Next to this one, I guess." The boy opened the flask containing the tea mix and drank half of it before giving some to his younger sister. "Here, you want some?" "Eww, nii-chan nooo." The pre-teen just laughed at his younger sister while drinking the rest of the sweet-smelling but surprisingly good-tasting tea mix.

_*sigh* I miss Great grandma already_, he says.

**-End-**

* * *

Well, I guess that wraps up a possible ending for the people who keep brewing weird stuff. They eventually start an empire, etc. etc. I hope to hear your comments, suggestions, rants, raves, or what not. Maybe we could make something new out of it. Thank you so much for sticking with me up to this last chapter, and hope to see you in another dimension! ^-^


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